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Bearing Point Scandal: A Tale Of Blame Shifting And Evasion Of Accountability

In a shocking display of political maneuvering, MP Rolando Brison recently wrote an article in the Daily Herald, attempting to shift the blame for the Bearing Point scandal onto the shoulders of the previous DP/UD minister Read more

Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (Ipko) To Be Held In The Hauge, The Netherlands

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten —A delegation from the Parliament of Sint Maarten left for The Netherlands to participate in the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO) from June 15, 2023, with the Netherlands as host country. Delegations from the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaao, and the Netherlands will also be participating.

The IPKO will commence on Wednesday, June 1, 2023, with opening remarks by the Chairperson of the IPKO, followed by speeches by the three delegation leaders of the Parliaments of the Countries Read more

Mp Heyliger-Marten: Establishment Of Petits Comits Show Commitment Of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — In a press release issued on Tuesday afternoon, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten expressed her satisfaction with the establishment of two petits comits during separate public meetings of Parliaments Permanent Committee for Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization (CCAD).

During the continuation of CCAD meeting # 2 on Tuesday morning, a petit comit was established consisting of MPs Duncan, Heyliger-Marten, Roumou and Gumbs Read more

Leader Of Up Party And Member Of Parliament Rolando Brison Arrested For Taking Brown Sack

Public Prosecutor Office Press Release:

Member of Parliament arrested for bribery

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Friday, March 17, 2023, the Criminal Investigation Team RST arrested a Member of Parliament of Sint Maarten. In addition, searches were conducted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate RC at the suspect’s residence and his workplace at the Parliament Building in Sint Maarten.

The arrest and the house searches took place in connection with a criminal investigation called “Lissabon” where the suspicion is that the Member of Parliament took bribes and abused his position Read more

Pfp Submits Draft Lb-Ham To Prime Minister

MP Peterson: Parliament changing Election Ordinance would be rats minding the cheese

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten Via a letter penned by Member of Parliament Melissa Gumbs, the Party for Progress faction in Parliament submitted a draft LB-HAM (national decree containing general measures) to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs on Thursday, 23 February 2023, prior to leaving for the IPKO session Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Vsa Minister Must Explain Smmc Construction Delay, Letter Of Intent

~ 10 years before hospital project is completed ~

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel announced on Tuesday that he had sent a letter to the Minister of Public Health regarding the recently signed letter of intent (LOI) between SMMC and contractor FINSO. He called the development “amazing and embarrassing” in light of previous statements made by SMMC, FINSO, and the Minister as well as the fact that FINSO has not mentioned that hospitals it is building in other parts of the world are experiencing delays.

It should be plainly evident to the average observer and the people of St Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Brison Attempts To Muddy The Water Against Buncamper

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel on Sunday said that at some point in time the people of St. Maarten have to see how dangerous MP Rolando Brison is to the country, considering the ease with which he uses people and their circumstances to hold on to power and the underhanded twisting of an issue to influence outcomes in his favour Read more

Pfp: Walkouts Becoming The Norm To Keep Accountability In The Dark

PHILIPSBURG Members of Parliament (MPs) Rolando Brison of United Peoples Party (UP) and Hyacinth Richardson of National Alliance (NA) walked out of Wednesdays parliament meeting because Party for Progress (PFP) MP Raeyhon Peterson introduced an additional agenda point to discuss the parliaments confidence in Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert J Read more

Judge Orders Mp Brison To Pay Damage To Villa And Rent Arrears

Source The Daily Herald

FILE PICTURE: Member of Parliament (MP) Rolando Brison

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Member of Parliament (MP) Rolando Brison was ordered by the court to pay compensation for damage to a villa with pool rented by him Read more

Closure Of Meeting Hampered Discussion Of Motion On Long-Lease Land, Says Pfp

~MPs to request public meeting~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten —While creating a draft policy on long-lease land is commendable, Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert J. Doran did not comply with the motion submitted by the Party for Progress (PFP) and passed by Parliament in October 2021. The follow-up meeting to discuss the resolutions that the motion brought forward was abruptly closed before it could truly start.

This is why several MPs – including PFP’s Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson – have requested a public meeting of Parliament to discuss the motions resolutions, especially in light of last weeks verdict of the Court of First Instance, which ordered the VROMI Minister to cease from issuing long-lease rights in Vineyard Heights Read more

Mp Arrindell Comes Good On Funding For Road Repairs

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — In a follow with concerns posed to Minister Vromi concerning deplorable roads, MP Akeem Arrindell comes good on his word and in Fridays Budget meeting brought forward an Amendment for the first time since being in office in regards to allocating additional funds for repairs/resurfacing the roads of St. Maarten. Together with MP Rolando Brison we looked for ideas for re-allocation of funds to ensure monies could be made available. We found ways to make this a reality, which the cost for restoration and beautification of the Marketplace in Philipsburg which was part of budget 2022 will now instead be released by investment from Port St Read more

Parliament Elects New President Of Parliament And 2Nd Vice President Of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten On, Friday November 26, 2021 during Public Meeting no. 03, the Parliament of Sint Maarten voted on and elected Member of Parliament, Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten as the new President of Parliament. Mrs. Heyliger-Marten previously served as the 2nd Vice President of Parliament.

The office of the President of Parliament became vacant on November 4th, 2021 when Member of Parliament Mr. Rolando Brison by letter dated November 4, 2021, informed Parliament of his resignation as President of Parliament effective said date (IS/212/2021-2022).

With the election of MP Heyliger-Marten as the new President of Parliament, the office of the 2nd Vice President therefore became vacant.

Subsequently in this same meeting Parliament also voted on and elected Member of Parliament Mr Read more

Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs Shamed Herself

Dear Editor,

If you are on social media these days you would have immediately noticed that the people of St. Maarten are sharing pictures, videos and speeches of the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley. Popular saying goes that you should never lift a politician too high, but Mottley is on a roll as a global leader. Compared to St. Maartens Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, the PM in Barbados must seem heaven sent to many here Read more

Emmanuel Calls For Mp BrisonS Immediate Resignation

~ Says PM also accountable to the people ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Referring to it as a clear and present danger to the legitimacy of Parliament and another failure of the current coalition, Independent MP Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday dubbed the viral recording of the Chairman of Parliament Rolando Brison arrogant and shameful and called on the UP MP Brison to tender his resignation immediately.

MP Emmanuel, who has warned about MP Brisons public conduct on numerous occasions, said elected representatives are supposed to be leaders who act with integrity and accountability after earning the right to represent the people of St Read more

United St. Maarten (Us) Board Calls On Mp Brison To Resign Immediately

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The board of the United St. Maarten (US) party has called on Chairperson of Parliament MP Rolando Brison to resign immediately as President of Parliament and not further shame and embarrass the country. The board also called on all factions in Parliament to show the people of St. Maarten that their highest body stands for integrity and end the soap opera antics of MP Brison and the consequences which St Read more

Is Possibly Ethically Unacceptable Behavior A New Norm?

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — The behavioral ethics of our appointed and elected officials have come under questionable circumstances lately. While there is no regulation against gifts for government officials neither has the code of conduct been passed, which includes a gift registration for Members of Parliament (MPs).

Back on December 13th, 2018, former Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT) Stuart Johnson highlighted an embarrassing case our country faced.

Johnson in The Daily Herald newspaper article stated, Government was notified on November 28 of a 451-day past-due bill for a training attended by Member of Parliament Rolando Brison during his stint as St Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Making Light Of Accountability Shows President Of ParliamentS Immaturity

Everything I predicted came true

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Monday said the fact that President of Parliament Rolando Brison continues to poke fun at the notion of accountability not only reflects his immaturity, but the low level of respect he has for the people of St Read more

Emmanuel: Coalition Not Holding Their Own Accountable, Meeting Requested

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — MP Christopher Emmanuel on Friday said a request has been submitted for an urgent Central Committee meeting with Minister of VSA Omar Ottley regarding COVID-19 protocols, their enforcement by the authorities and circumventing by members of the UP/NA coalition at their discretion for personal pleasure.

The MP said he has listened to Ottleys explanation of what transpired last weekend at Lotus Night Club, but as the Minister of VSA and Interim Minister of TEATT at the time, he did not address pertinent questions that specifically focused on breaching protocols.
The Minister used the opportunity to defend himself and take a target off of his back, but in doing so he either forgot or willfully did not answer important questions, MP Emmanuel said.

The question is, did the event, the same event the Minister said had just 100 people, carry on past 11pm and past 2am in the morning? If yes, who gave the permission to the club owners to continue their party later than the stipulated closing time of 11pm and have they been fined? Simple questions, yet all we get is dancing from the Minister who is obviously only concerned with protecting himself, the MP said.

He said the coalition also has yet to answer for the behavior of the Chairman of Parliament Rolando Brison, who used the medical situation of a fellow MP (MP Buncamper) as an excuse not to travel to Bonaire to attend IPKO, but instead spent a weekend partying Read more

Sint Maarten And The Netherlands Meet Over Liquidity Support

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten On Monday, March 29, 2021, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and her support staff were invited to a meeting arranged by the Dutch representatives office with State Secretary Knops. The meeting was amicable, however, State Secretary Knops still needed more reassurance from the Parliament of Sint Maarten concerning support for the trajectory of the Kingdom Consensus Law COHO and the country package agreements finalized in December 2020.

Prime Minister Jacobs stated, During the meeting, State Secretary Knops agreed that the Government of Sint Maarten has lived up to the agreements Read more

Mp Brison Want Penal Code AmendedTo Jail Car Thieves For 5-Years + Naf.50K

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the United People’s Party and President of Parliament in St. Maarten, the honorable Rolando Brison says UP fraction will initiate a Penal Code amendment to raise the penalty to five (5) years in Prison and Naf.50k fine for persons convicted of car theft.

According to MP Brison, this is one way to curb the spate of vehicle thefts occurring on the island in recent months.

In a press release issued Wednesday, MP Brison said the Government of St Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Chairman Of ParliamentSetting Dangerous Precedent

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Sewing seditious behavior and interfering with civil servants executing directives is a dangerous precedent to set, says Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel in response to a circulating video of Chairman of Parliament Rolando Brison confronting economic inspectors at a nightlife establishment.

In the video, Brison is recorded chiding and questioning the inspectors for trying to close the establishment, questioning their authority and legal basis Read more

Emmanuel Requests LetterViolenus Read To Dutch Govt.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel is seeking to obtain the letter read by St. Maartens Minister Plenipotentiary Rene Violenus during the most recent Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting in Holland on December 18, 2020. Emmanuel sent the request for the letter to the Chairperson of Parliament MP Rolando Brison on December 24.

Emmanuel explained that media outlets and others are on record as stating that the letter read by Violenus was not well received by the Dutch government as it supposedly accused the Netherlands for the position St Read more

The Decolonization Noise.

Endorsing the comments and observations by Sarah Wescot Williams and Melissa Gumbs regarding all the noise about De-Colonization, I ask Grisha Heyliger, Rolando Brison, George Pantophlet and all other noisemakers: What, according to your coalition, are Governments immediate plans to:

1 Read more

Na And Up Came To A Agreement To Form The Government

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The National Alliance and United Peoples Party on Saturday, January 11 signed a coalition agreement to form the next government of St. Maarten. The agreement will see the two largest parties coming out of the January 9 Parliamentary election form a solid majority in the next Parliament of St. Maarten, and, most importantly, a stable government for the next four years.

Under the coalition agreement the National Alliance will appoint the Minister of General Affairs and Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Education, Minister of VROMI, Minister of Justice, Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Prime Minister, Vice Chair of Parliament and 2nd Vice Chair of Parliament.

The United People Party will appoint the Minister of TEATT, Minister of VSA, Chairperson of Parliament and Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary.

Prime Minister and leader of the National Alliance Silveria Jacobs said in no uncertain terms that the NA/UP coalition government reflects the wishes of the people as they have been clamoring over the past years for the two largest parties to come together.

The National Alliance campaigned strongly on stability and providing leadership of integrity and honesty Read more